A Different Beginning
by wazzabinho
Summary: What would have happened if Severus Snape was left in charge of Harry Potter as he grew up? What would have happened if Harry grew up loved and surrounded by people that cared for him? Rated M for later chapters. Eventual Haphne.


**Hello! This is a story that I had been working out for almost a year. I have most of it complete and will upload once per week as I edit it. I know I have been absent from the other stories, and it was because of school. Don't worry I will finish them, but they won't be long stories like this one. I hope you guys enjoy this one.**

**This story will feature an OOC Snape, but it will be explained as it goes along. I believe if Snape cared for Lily as he said he does, he would do this for Harry. **

**I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.**

* * *

A Different Beginning

Chapter 01

Severus Snape loved Lily Evans. It was a statement as simple as one could breathe air. Since meeting her all those years ago, he could look at his childhood with an ounce of happiness. She was his muse, his reason to wake up, and his reason to keep living through these horrendous times.

"Lily?", Snape acclaimed, his voice caught in his throat as he looked into the somber house. Not a sound came from inside the house. The door was slightly ajar, but not enough to lurk about. A cry suddenly was heard, but Snape's ears could not hear it at the time, he could only hear the thumping of his heart.

"Li – Lily?", Snape coughed once more as his eyes began to moisten as he advanced more. He hesitated before putting his now cold hand on the door. The door seemed to burn to his touch, but he pressed on and opened it still.

James Potter, one of Snape's personal bullies at school got to marry his Lily. Snape envied him, it was a fact. A fact that he kept close at heart behind a curtain of pure disdain. Potter played Quidditch, did excellent at school, won the hearts of the teachers and had close friends he could call his brethren.

And what did Severus Snape have? Lily.

But James Potter had to come and take that away from him just before graduating Hogwarts. This happened whilst he made the most terrible mistake of his life … saying the foulest slur word imaginable to his Lily, one that came out unwarranted from his heart. This is when he truly lost her to Potter. His anger and his hubris led him to join a group of murderers, thinly vailed as politicians, but murderers nonetheless.

Now years after graduating, there lay James Potter in front of him. Dead. Killed by non-other than Snape's 'master'. Any other day Snape would have smirked at the news, but now he looked at his enemy and only one thing came to him. Dread and horror.

Looking at James' body activated something within Snape and he hurried upstairs, carefully as to not step on Potter's body. He hurried by skipping steps, the floor creaking loudly with each step he took.

Turning the corner at the top of the stairs Snape felt his stomach drop. He felt sick, anguished, and angry all at the same time. His flower, his heart, his soul was laying on the floor next to a crib.

Lily Potter, nee Evans, was Severus' best and only friend…ever. He knew her since childhood and learned to love her as they grew up. Her auburn hair, her green eyes, and her smile were etched in Snape's heart, mind, and soul.

As he knelt beside her and he could see the green eyes that once had so much life in them were now empty of emotion. Her expression was not one of anguish, hurt, or horror. Those were emotions that Snape expected since he was feeling them as well. But her eyes were empty. He could not even touch her because he did not believe

A cry from the crib woke him up from his daze. Snape quickly went to it and saw the little boy. Barely able to walk on his own, the kid looked so much like James that it made him a little angry. Then he remembered that his father was dead and felt ashamed for installing the hate he had for the boy's father into said boy.

Little Henry 'Harry' James Potter was Snape's greatest fear. The proof that he had lost Lily to another man. Yet as Snape went to the crib, which made Harry stop crying long enough to see who was next to him, he saw a flash in the little boy's eyes. That was his Lily!

"Hey little man…", Snape cooed as he picked up Harry, along with a blanket. "Hey – hey – hey stop crying please…", Snape said as he rocked Harry into a semi-calm state.

Snape then noticed the scar in the boy's forehead. It looked like lightening.

* * *

"Uncle Sev!", whined a green-eyed eleven-year-old as cake frosting dripped from his head onto the floor. He had not expected his uncle's attack since the elder wizard was usually the picture of poise and calm. That did not stop Harry Potter from smiling widely though.

"Now, now, Harry! It's not every day a young wizard becomes eleven!", Snape said with a small smirk, licking his fingers smugly as if to mock the little boy.

"Actually, it is every day a wizarding boy becomes eleven, Uncle! I read a book on the wizarding population and statistically I share my birthday with over a thousand wizarding boys all over the world! Therefore…", Harry stopped when he felt another piece of cake being splatted on top of his head.

"Stop it Har! You're boring the rest of us!", said a little blue-eyed blonde girl smugly, her hand covered in frosting.

"Daph! You too?", Harry said with his eyes gaping at her, clearly surprised. When the girl nodded slowly with a smug smile, Harry had an idea.

The little girl basked in the glory of her little victory, her parents cheering for her as well as her little sister who was cheering and laughing the loudest. What she failed to notice was the floating cake slowly inching to the top of her head.

"Hey Daph!" Harry exclaimed innocently, his hand doing small movements behind his back.

"Yes, birthday boy?" Daphne said still smugly. In her arrogance she failed to notice that her family had stopped laughing and was now wide eyed.

Splat. That was all everyone heard and time seemed to stand still. The little girl's smile slowly turned into a frown, then as realization hit it turned into a full-on scowl. The glare that her ice-cold eyes emanated was enough to freeze any man on earth to the spot. Currently, they were directed solely at Harry, who stood frozen as he clearly had not thought ahead of his action.

"I suggest you run Harry." simply said Cygnus Greengrass, the head of the Greengrass family. The humor in his voice and eyes was not lost on his wife, Aurora, and was relieved that her husband thought the little prank was humorous.

"Run Harry!", yelled the youngest Greengrass girl, Astoria. She was giggling and clapping her hands whilst sitting on Snape's lap.

"Uncle Snape tell him to run!", the little girl exclaimed while she pointed at the scene, laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"You heard the lady Harry…run," Snape said, humoring the little girl.

Harry smirked at Daphne, waking up from his dazed and stunned look, and turned around as fast as he could towards the nearest exit.

"Henry James Potter!", wailed the cake-covered girl as she ran behind the escaping culprit. There was no anger in her voice, she knew the game she wanted to play with Harry. They had been playing it almost their entire lives.

"Severus?" said Aurora, trying to get the attention of the Potions Master. Snape had watched the exchange with a somber look, almost as if he was regretting something.

Snape then woke up from his reverie and turned towards Aurora, "She deserved to be here."

It was all he said and then turned to make Astoria giggle by whispering something to her, going back to his cheerful self.

Aurora looked at Cygnus with a sad look, husband and wife silently talking with just one look. Cygnus could only match her look and shrug his shoulders. They could always talk to the man they had a close friendship later. Today was reserved for celebrations.

* * *

"Today was a really fun day Uncle Sev! Thank you so much for my new books!" Harry exclaimed tiredly as he sat down next to his uncle as the sun was going down. He was already carrying a book with him, and silently put his head on the older man's shoulder and started to read.

Severus sat outside their house on a bench. He was watching the sunset with a glass of firewhisky, basking in the last moments that the sun gave them. He then started to stroke Harry's hair as he read. No words had to be said in order for Harry to know that his uncle heard him.

Snape hated this day most of all. It served as a reminder of what he had lost. The first years with Harry at his side, anger consumed him. Then agony and lastly numbness.

But then, as he looked at the boy he had adopted, his feelings changed to ones of joy and pride. Harry was clearly nothing like his father, more like his mother.

Snape could just look towards the horizon and remember...

* * *

_Severus took Harry with him before the half-giant came for him that night many years ago. He knew that Dumbledore, his old Headmaster, had a plan in case the Potters perished._

_It was a split-second decision. Snape decided that Harry could not be raised by whatever adoptive parents Dumbledore had planned for him. Knowing the old man, Snape figured the choice would be Lily's sister. Snape could not bear the thought of any child living with her._

_Not looking at his Lily laying on the ground dead, Snape took the crying child and disappeared towards the only place he knew he would not be followed by any of Voldemort's goons or Dumbledore himself._

_Snape appeared in the middle of Diagon Alley and hurried towards Gringotts Bank. He tried to calm the crying Harry as he walked but couldn't, the apparition being uncomfortable for the child._

_"Sorry," Snape muttered to the baby as he raised his wand and wordlessly cast Muffliato on Harry. He knew that was no way to treat a baby but time and discreetness was of the essence here._

_As he entered Gringotts, he went towards the first goblin that he saw. Many of the goblins paid him no mind, but some of them looked up with annoyed expressions because he was interrupting important business._

_"Good evening," Snape almost yelled to the goblin, his expression one of worry. He did not forget that manners were important to the goblin nation._

_The goblin looked up almost bored and narrowed his eyes at the scene in front of him. In all his years working at the bank, he had never seen a man carrying a crying baby, one that was making no sound._

_"How may we aid you, sir…?" the goblin said, pulling out the ledger of visits for them to sign in._

_Snape could not wait anymore, "I am requesting to speak to the Potter family manager in this bank. This is Henry James Potter, the 'now' orphan of James and Li…Lily Potter, of the Most Ancient and Noble House Potter."_

_The goblin looked almost bored, but his raised eyebrows gave him away, "Very well, then you must be wanting to speak to Hookfang."_

_Snape could just nod as the goblin stepped down from his tall chair and escorted them silently towards where the account managers' offices were. Many offices were passed in silence, the sound of the steps the only ones heard at the hours of the night._

_The more they walked, the offices went from simple looking offices to a regal aesthetic. Snape had never gone this deep into Gringotts and he figured it was because the Potter family was old and had many vaults to their name._

_"Here we are," said the goblin as he went to the last office and tapped on the door._

_"Yes Griphook?" a deep voice was heard from the inside. Snape was failing to keep his composure, his Occlumency shields failing to stand. The weight of the night was starting to take a toll on him, and he needed to ensure the safety of Lily's child._

_"There is someone here who would like to speak to you," Griphook said and vowed slightly towards whomever was inside the office._

_"Very well. Let them in," said the voice amusedly. Griphook turned towards the pair and opened the door to the office._

_Snape advanced and entered the office, thanking Griphook with a nod. Snape then saw an old goblin, with what he assumed an expensive attire for his kind. The goblin did not look up as he was writing something on parchment, his glasses down to the tip of his long nose._

_"James, it was only yesterday that you came! If I was someone else I woul…" the goblin stopped as he looked up towards Snape and Harry._

_"And who may both of you be?" the goblin asked as he stood up on his seat, anger starting to rise._

_Snape did not waste a minute, knowing how an angered goblin could act, and held Harry up almost as if presenting him, "Severus Snape and this is Henry James Potter."_

_The goblin looked confused and a moment passed. Harry stopped crying but he could be seen still sniffling, as if crying had tired him. Silence reigned on the office as a look of understanding was slowly filling the goblin._

_"So…it happened?" the goblin asked sadly as he sat down in his chair, now looking for something inside the drawers of his desk._

_"What happened?" Snape asked confusedly, anger slowly filling him. Had he heard correctly that the goblin knew this would happen?_

_"They are now dead I'm assuming. Am I correct?" the goblin asked as he found what he was looking for and took out a folder with several papers inside, making the folder thicker than normal._

_"What is the meaning of this…?" Snape almost yelled, angry at what he was hearing. The goblin _knew_ his Lily would die today?_

_The goblin interrupted what he knew would be an angry rant from the man in front of him, "James came yesterday with several papers and artifacts, and two wills. I told him 'you're too young to be thinking about this! You will live to be a hundred and fifty! There is no need for this.' I now see that he made the right decision."_

_"What is that supposed to mean?" Snape asked as he sat down, he had to sit or he was going to explode here in this office with a child in his arms._

_The goblin took out two pieces of paper and put them in front of Snape for him to grab, "This are the Potter's wills to be carried out at the time of their untimely deaths."_

_Snape grabbed them and quickly read them with care, muttering the words he read in a low voice. His expression grew more relieved as he kept reading. When he finished he grabbed Harry closer to him and returned the wills to Hookfang._

_"Lily left him to me? But, I am a…" Snape said as he extended his left arm, where the Dark Mark was._

_Hookfang looked at the Dark Mark disinterestedly and waved a hand over it. Snape yelped and almost dropped Harry, which in turned made him cry again, this time it could be heard. Snape looked at his arm in surprise, the mark was completely gone._

_The goblin could only smirk at Snape, "I see nothing in your arm Lord Snape. You are now the legal guardian of one Henry James Potter, which in turn makes you a Lord and the Reagent of the Most Ancient and Noble House Potter. You have access to the Potter's vaults and the properties…"_

_Snape looked astonished. He had a mastery in Potions and was working on making potions to different wizarding companies, his wealth being much from his own efforts. But now, he went up to become almost royalty._

_The goblin was not finished, "…at the time of Henry James Potter's eleventh birthday he will be able to open his trust fund in order to deal with his school necessities as well as something more. He will then become the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House Potter…"_

_Snape could only nod as he listened and looked now down to Harry, grabbing his little hand. Harry felt this and looked up to Snape and they connected eyes. Snape felt now that this was what he needed to do and looked up towards the goblin in order to pay attention to what he was saying._

_The goblin let a small smile form before he continued, "…and at the time of his coming of age, he will become Lord Potter."_

_"I understand all this and I thank you. We both do Hookfang," Snape said as he stood up. He extended a hand towards Hookfang which the goblin took._

_"I would suggest staying at Potter Manor, then buying a home for both you and the little one. This would be until the war stops, so please stay in hiding," the goblin said tiredly, the events of what happened now would take time for him to sort through._

_"As of today, Lord Voldemort is dead Hookfang," Snape informed the goblin, seeing as no one but him at this time knew that._

_"Is that so?" Hookfang wondered out loud and smiled a relieved smile._

_"Indeed. But I fear many of his followers will still be looking for Harry here. I will follow your advice closely and will keep you informed of what happens," Snape said to the goblin as he opened the door to leave._

_"Please see that you do. The Apparition spot for my client is next to the door, the mark is on the floor," Hookfang informed him as he grabbed some new parchment and started writing something._

_Snape nodded and closed the door. He stood there in wonderment at what had happened, and suddenly felt a little semblance of joy. His Dark Mark was gone, his Master was dead, and now he had a boy to take care of. A boy born from his childhood nemesis and the love of his life._

_This thought then brought back all the memories of the day like a stab on Snape's heart, and his eyes moistened immediately._

_Snape suddenly felt a hand on his cheek and looked down to see a wide-eyed Harry, wonder in his green eyes. Eyes that reminded him of Lily._

* * *

"Let's go little one. I promise your life will be as normal as possible, and to see that you are taken care of," Snape said as he grabbed Harry's little hand and went towards the Apparition spot.

Looking down at the reading Harry, Snape smiled and stood up silently. A house elf appeared next to him and silently took the drink away from his hand.

"Thank you, Snippy," Snape said kindly to the elf, who then vowed.

"Snippy! Stay and read with me please?" Harry said when he noticed the little elf was there.

"In a moment Master Harry, I will now clean the kitchen and the little mess you made with Miss Daphne," the elf said with a smirk and Harry blushed as he hid behind his book.

Snape chuckled as he went towards the owl outpost outside of his home. With the new money he had, he had bought a large plain in the northern fields of England. It was peaceful and far enough from all the chaos that the Ministry caused in the wizarding community.

Severus then wondered why had the Hogwarts letter for Harry had not arrived today. Normally when a wizard turned eleven, the letter arrived in the morning.

Harry had wondered that as well sadly in the morning, but forgot all about it when Daphne had arrived at their home and the festivities started early.

An apparition crack was then heard next to him. A startled Snape pointed his wand at the intruder, but the shock of seeing his face after all these years made him lower his hand.

"Hello Severus," said an old wizard with a long beard, half-moon spectacles and long robes.

"Albus," Severus said now regaining his composure. Anger started to fill his eyes and his heart, until he saw that in the old man's hands there was Harry's letter.

"Could we maybe go inside and talk?" Dumbledore asked, his hand pointing towards the entrance of their home.

"Seeing as you have Harry's Hogwarts letter and seem to want to talk to me, I am assuming you need a new Potions teacher at Hogwarts…" Snape said with a bored tone, a tone he always had around Albus Dumbledore. He used the same voice when he held disdain towards someone.

Dumbledore smiled sadly and nodded, "It seems that I do."

"…the answer is as it has always been. No, Albus. I won't teach there," Snape said firmly as he opened the door.

"Oh, but you see. You will have to do it for young Harry. I am afraid he will be in grave danger without you there," Albus said, the twinkle in his eyes non-present.

"Is that a threat old man?" Snape almost snarled, but kept it down because it would startle Harry who was still oblivious to what was happening inside the house.

Snippy seemed to look up and the elf's eyes widened in alert. Snape shook his head and nodded for the elf to continue to sit there with Harry.

"No, Severus. It is a fact," Dumbledore said gloomily.

"Whatever do you mean?" Snape asked, a curious mindset now present. What could the old man be implying now?

Albus took a moment to answer. He looked at the happy home that Snape had with young Harry and smiled at how much the man in front of him had changed. He then looked at the reading boy and with a sad look he muttered only one word.

"Voldemort."

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**Here it is guys! The first chapter! Let me know if you like it. Please review!**


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